monika mckay Communications, Marketing and Local Relations
Monika is a native New Orleanian whose background is in home buying finance. One of her most productive qualities is her ability to adapt to change. As the for-sale market changed, Monika sought to learn all she could about the rental market. Monika returned to New Orleans post-Katrina as an underwriter for the Road Home Program (CDBG funds for recovery), where she worked exclusively with small nonprofits who owned rental property in need of repair.
As Project Manager at Columbia Residential, she is part of a team responsible for the redevelopment of the St. Bernard Housing development, now named Columbia Parc at the Bayou District. Monika has put her impressive relationship management skills to work as she coordinates the efforts of architects, general contractors, attorneys, financial advisors, the Housing Authority, various city, state and federal agencies, and former residents for the purpose of producing 700 units (466 in the first phase) of mixed-income rental housing in the Gentilly neighborhood. The master plan for Columbia Parc includes schools, retail, and recreation for a holistic and sustainable community.
Monika received a BA in English Literature from the University of Houston in 1998, and a graduate certificate in Urban Redevelopment Excellence from the University of Pennsylvania. Monika is a member of the board for Citizens for a Better New Orleans (CBNO), a racially and culturally diverse group whose mission is to provide leadership and catalyze change toward the achievement of a Blueprint for a Better New Orleans. She also holds a seat on the Policy committee of the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance (GNOHA). The Effective Leadership fellowship is Monika’s latest endeavor. This program focuses on leadership as a way of “being”. Monika travels to Cape Town, South Africa in 2010 with this group.
Monika has over seven years of professional and personal experience in the fields of real estate development and community relations that make her a vital asset of the Spark InSites team.
Favorite street in NOLA:
St Charles Ave.
Favorite restaurant in NOLA:
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Where I was when the Saints won the Super Bowl:
Good old NOLA house party